Out of the nearly 30,000 Goans working in Kuwait, hardly 100 have returned ever since United States-led forces invaded Iraq a week ago.

In fact, quite a few who were in Goa for their holidays have now left for Kuwait.

Goa is connected to Kuwait by an Air-India flight, which flies twice a week.

Though there are no official figures, according to estimates nearly 10 per cent of the Goans, which translates to around 100,000, are in the Gulf region.

If they are forced to return, it is bound to create tremendous socio-economic pressure on the tiny state.

"We have not sounded any red alert to create unnecessary panic, but the state machinery is prepared with a contingency plan," said a senior official of the NRI Facilitation Centre formed by the government.

According to the centre officials, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is willing to fly down the Gulf-based Goans free of charge if the situation demands. Plans to provide self-employment opportunities with additional benefits have also been drawn out, in case of emergency.

"The situation is calm. There is no immediate danger to our community at large," said Alex Wilson Coelho, Kuwait-based president of the Goan Welfare Society.

A co-ordination committee meeting of the representatives of various state-level Indians' associations was held four days ago. Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Swashpawan Singh, Civil Aviation Secretary K Roy Paul and regional directors and managers of Air-India and Indian Airlines attended it.

In addition, the local officials said that the state government is in touch with Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and the MP from Goa.

According to George Bosco, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Immigration), the number of expatriates has increased slightly after the war, may be from 40 to 70 per flight. Most of them are contract workers who are sent back, he added.

Though no non-working women and children have started returning, the NRI centre has already requested the government to make school admissions available, as the new academic year will begin from June.

Watching television news day and night, the people, however, are sitting with their fingers crossed, hoping that the war would end without the neighbouring countries being targeted.